And That Means Comfort
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: Connor and Abby have just returned from the Cretaceous Era and have promptly caught colds. A sweet lil' ficlet for those in need of a hug and some hot tea with honey.


_This wee ficlet is for Casy Dee who's come down with a terrible cold and needs some TLC._

And That Means Comfort  
2010 Evenstar Estel

After being stranded for a year in the Cretaceous Era without many mammal-born viruses to be found, the first thing to happen to Abby and Connor after returning home was to each catch a cold and sore throat. Despite their rustic living conditions they'd been relatively germ free and were now a ripe breeding ground. One sneeze from one of Becker's soldiers in their vicinity and boom, three days later the pair had congestion, runny noses, sore throats, coughs and full body aches. They were blessed to be reunited with their animals at the ARC, but they'd lost their flat during their absence and come night they had to suffice with a hotel. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't home either. Their first order of business once they got better would be to hunt for a new place to live, _together_. If the Cretaceous was good for anything, it had helped the pair finally admit to being in love with the other. People may have thought Connor and Abby were unnaturally close, unwilling to be further than an arm's length apart, but to them it felt completely natural. When they acclimated to the modern world again they might feel less ill at ease being away from each other, but that time hadn't come yet. They had a laundry list of things to sort out, but all plans had been waylaid by their nasty colds.

They'd been holed up in the hotel room for five days, sleeping almost the entire time. Their waking hours mostly involved watching television and eating soup they'd heated in the provided microwave. Neither was without a mug of Lemsip in their hands for very long. Between fevers and chills and the general malaise, their return to their world of origin was definitively lack lustre. Becker, being a good sport and still carrying around mountains of guilt for not having rescued them, came by each day with more supplies for them as well as food and clothes. Jess, bless her, had sent Abby an iPod full of her favourite music, including The Clash, Nick Cave, and Queen. As much as she loved Connor, and she did, to the ends of the universe and back again, she didn't like the throaty nasally noise he made when he snorted the mucus into his throat rather than blow his nose. Therefore she was plugged in whilst they slept so she wouldn't waken to the horrid sound. After five days held hostage by her illness Abby began to feel a bit better so she went for a walk. Her throat already felt a thousand times improved and was no longer the raging volcano it had been at the onset. The fresh air did her a world of good and she felt more alert than she had in days. She stopped in at the grocery store to buy Connor some Lucozade and saltines. She also picked up several bars of Cadbury's milk chocolate for herself and for Connor when he felt well enough. As she passed a small display of books she spotted one of his favourites and added it to her basket. Most of their belongings were in still in storage and would stay there until they found a new place, so Connor was without his much loves books and comics to occupy his mind. Lastly she nabbed another box of condoms, just in case. They'd gone through one box already in those first three days back in the modern world. She didn't exactly fancy making love to a snot monster, but if she was on the mend and so was he, they might give in to temptation regardless. She made her purchases with the shiny new government credit card she'd been issued and walked back to the hotel.

She'd opened the curtains before she'd left but found them closed again with a solitary lamp illuminating the room. Connor was no longer in bed, but she heard the shower running and her heart was put at ease. She put away her groceries in the little refrigerator and the condoms and book on the bedside table. She swallowed another pair of decongestants and set about making them both a cup of tea with honey. The shower was shut off and a few moments later Connor emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and another wrapped up around his head. She caught herself staring at his bare body and strongly reconsidered the appeal of snot monsters. The sojourn in the past had refined his body to hard sculpted muscle and Abby felt a longing ache pool low in her belly. However when she looked up at this face lust was quickly replaced by an almost maternal need to coddle him. He looked positively miserable. There was a nick on his cheek from where he'd shaved and another on his chin. His nose was red and looked sore. Also, he was either on the verge of tears or his cold was making his eyes water. Combined with his pouting lower lip, the frown and the wibble of his chin Abby felt a wave of sympathy for him.

"Oh Connor," she said, throwing her arms around him and giving him a hug. He leaned into her and whimpered. He still felt warm and it wasn't from the shower. She touched his forehead, his fever hadn't broken like hers had. "I made us some tea, would you like a cup?" He nodded and whimpered again. "Get under the covers and relax." He took the towel off his head and the one from around his waist and handed them to her before he padded across the room like a woeful toddler. He reclined in bed, propped up by many pillows and pulled the covers up over his chest. "Are you hungry?" He shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. Then he winced and held his throat. "Sore still?" He nodded and reached for the cup of tea. He took a sip then mouthed _thank you_ to her. "Is your voice gone?" He nodded again. This time a little tear did trickled down from the corner of his eye. Abby gave him a empathetic look and kissed his cheek. "My poor baby. What can I do to make it better?" He just shrugged and looked down. She didn't think he'd ever looked more pathetic in all his life. Connor Temple had _kicked puppy_ down to a fine art.

"Why don't you finish your tea then have nap," she suggested. He nodded mutely, still not looking up at her. Abby made a mental note to ask his mum if he was always so tragic when he got sick. In the past this behavior might've annoyed her, but she'd come to know Connor on every level and he wasn't acting this way just to gain her sympathy. He was genuinely miserable and surely very sad. Abby walked around to the other side of the bed and disrobed until she wore only her vest and knickers. She climbed in next to him and sat up against her own pillows. She sipped her tea in silence and when she and Connor were both done she guided his head down to her chest and let him lay there. He nuzzled her breasts. Abby rolled her eyes and shook her head. She lay a comforting arm around his shoulders and hugged him. Reaching over to the night stand she picked up the book. "Maybe you'd like a bedtime story?"

He looked up at her and gave her a smile and mouthed _please_ to her. She returned his smile. He settled in and listened. Abby opened to the first page and began to read aloud. "Chapter one, An Unexpected Party. In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort..."

The End


End file.
